An eyewitness said: "It was truly shocking to see the extent of the damage and the final position that the car had ended up in – completely crushed."

The remains of a Peugeot car, which crashed in heavy rain on the M3 near Camberley

Three men were taken to hospital after their car, which was being driven by a man holding only a provisional driving licence, aquaplaned on the M3 at high speed and careered into a tree.

Surrey’s roads policing team released this dramatic picture, showing a mangled turquoise Peugeot on the motorway embankment near Camberley, after the heavens had opened on Bank Holiday Monday (August 25).

The crash happened at around 6.30pm on the southbound carriageway, between junction 3 for Bagshot and Lightwater, and junction 4 for Frimley and Camberley.

Two of the men in the car were able to climb out unaided with only minor injuries, but a third had to be cut free from the stricken vehicle by the fire service.

Heavy rain set in during the early hours of Monday morning, making driving extremely difficult due to slippery conditions and limited visibility on the busy motorway.

Writing on Twitter, the team at @SurreyRoadCops later revealed the accident had involved a provisional licence holder who they said was "driving too fast" for the conditions.

They added the motorist had no supervisor or learner plates, and would be dealt with for a "number of offences". Learner drivers, or drivers on provisional licences, are not allowed on British motorways.

Crew manager Ben Totman, from Rushmoor fire station, said the car was in a horrific state when his crew arrived at the scene.

“They aquaplaned due to the heavy rain and surface water and collided with a tree,” he said. “Two walking wounded were able to get out, one had a broken nose and some cuts to his face, but the third male we had to free by B-post removal.

“It looked pretty bad when we got there.

“We used our hydraulic cutting gear to remove the whole side of the car to get him out. He was very lucky. We then passed them on to the ambulance services.”

Eyewitness Georgina Townshend, who was travelling to Surrey from Somerset, said that after miles of heavy traffic, she spotted a "mass" of blue lights on the horizon on the opposite side of the road.

“As we approached I saw at least two fire engines, two ambulances and other smaller ambulance cars at the side of the road,” she said. “There was a tent set up, but I’m not sure what was happening inside.

“When I saw the crash itself, I couldn’t believe it.

“It didn’t look physically possible. It was truly shocking to see the extent of the damage and the final position that the car had ended up in – completely crushed. Just horrible.”

A spokesman for Highways Agency said: “There was debris scattered all over the road. That’s where our involvement comes in. We closed lane one and the debris was cleared by 8.42pm. There were delays of around 15 minutes as a result.”

A spokesman for South East Coast Ambulance Service said it received a call at around 6.30pm and sent two ambulances and two ambulance cars. South Central Ambulance Service also attended, as did an air ambulance road vehicle.

The two walking wounded were taken to Frimley Park Hospital, while a 21-year-old man suffering back and minor head injuries was taken to St George’s Hospital, in Tooting.

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She has been editorial director of the online and print titles in Surrey and north-east Hampshire since 2007. Marnie previously worked at the BBC as a producer for 5 Live, having moved to national radio from BBC Sussex and Surrey.